Mark Williams has insisted he will continue playing on the amateur circuit after retiring from professional snooker. The Welshman, a former world No.1 and one of only three players to win the triple crown in the same season, addressed his future at the age of 51.
His comments follow recent statements from John Higgins and Ronnie O'Sullivan about walking away from snooker altogether. Williams, a three-time world champion, acknowledged he is in the twilight of his career but does not plan to leave the sport entirely.
Williams: 'You don't have to worry about me'
Speaking at the English Open, Williams said: “The other two have said they are going to finish in a couple of years, I'm going to be carrying on for whatever it is.”
He added: “I'll be playing as much as I can. I'll be playing in the amateur game or anything. You don't have to worry about me. The other two, my compadres, say they will retire in a couple of years and that is good news for the rest. I'm going to carry on, even when I go down the rankings.”
O'Sullivan and Higgins on their futures
O'Sullivan has previously said he would stick around for a few years as he aims to add an eighth World Championship title. Speaking at the British Open last week, he put a time stamp on his decision: “I'd love to win another World Championship. I've got two attempts at it.
“Three years previous, I wasn't cueing well enough, so I feel like if I can find a bit of cueing find some form at Sheffield… if I don't do it this season or the next season, then it'll definitely never happen. But I'm pleased with my career. I'm happy with how things have gone, and I just want to try and enjoy these next two years.
“I'll reassess it in 2028 and if things are really going well, and I've surprised myself, then maybe you can extend it but you have to be realistic. I'm definitely not going to be playing qualifiers put it that way.”
Higgins, speaking to Metro, said: “I think it’s hard to get yourself up for playing. That’s what I feel. Even the other boys in the unit, we’re giving that up this year, because they’ve got different things going on as well.
“Snooker’s maybe not their number one priority when we’re getting older. So, I’ll be going back into the house [to practise], and I think that’s when it could be tough. We’ll see how that pans out in the next year or so. It’s just difficult putting the work in.”
He concluded: “But we’re lucky we’ve got so many tournaments. That substitutes practice. If there was only six or seven tournaments throughout the whole season, I think I could drop that stone.”
